Nothing Left to Lose
by KittKatt001
Summary: Addison shows up at Seattle Grace. What could have happened after Who's Zoomin' Who? 1.9 MeredithAlex friendship


**Title: **Nothing Left To Lose  
**Characters:** Meredith Grey, Alex Karev  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Diclaimer:** I don't own Grey's or any of the characters  
**Summary: **Addison shows up at Seattle Grace. What could have happened after "Who's Zoomin' Who?" (1.9)

"So you're the woman whose been screwing my husband," Addison said.

Meredith stared at Derek in shock, betrayal in her eyes. "I- I have to go." Without waiting for a reply, she spun around and hurried back to the locker room. She slammed the door shut and sank down to the floor, burying her head in her hands.

"Ahh!" her scream was muffled in her hands.

"Meredith?" a locker door closed and Alex appeared from around the corner. "What the hell happened to you? You were all perky and cheery when you left."

"Oh, hey Alex," Meredith faked a smile. "So, I guess I'll just be leaving now, see you tomorrow? Okay, bye." She got up and started to open the door. Alex's hand slammed into the door and held it closed.

"Seriously, Meredith, what happened? No one goes from being that cheery to this depressed so quickly."

"Nothing, okay? Just drop it, and let me leave. I'll see you in the morning."

"Meredith, you are not leaving this room until you tell me what's wrong."

"Oh, and what are you going to do, stuff me in a locker until I talk? Honestly Alex, why are you trying to help me? We aren't even friends. We don't _talk._"

"Did you ever think maybe you need to talk to someone who doesn't know everything about you?" He sighed, exasperated. "Yeah, okay, we aren't friends. We don't _talk_. But maybe you haven't noticed, I'm the only one here now. And you're hurting, and I'm not such a jerk that I would leave you here like that. So talk to me."

"Okay, fine." Meredith looked around. "But not here, okay? Can we go somewhere else?" Alex nodded and slipped his arms into his jacket.

"Lead the way."

* * *

"Joe's? This is your idea of a better place to talk?" Alex looked around incredulously. The bar was packed, and most of the people there were hospital staff who had just gotten off shift- luckily, not Meredith's friends. He didn't want to think about what Cristina might do to him if she saw them together. She had never really forgiven him about the nurse comment. 

"Shut up, Karev," Meredith said tiredly. She headed over to the bar and got two beers, gesturing for Alex to follow her to a little table in the corner. She handed him a beer and sat across the table from him.

"So…?"

"So…" Meredith drew out the word. "Derek… well, he has- I mean- he's married! Can you believe it, he's married? And she has gorgeous red hair, and a gorgeous body, and everything about her is so perfect! Married. He has a _wife_, and he didn't tell me!" She picked up her beer and drained half of it. "And she just shows up at the hospital, no warning, and calls me the woman who is screwing her _husband_. Can you believe that? I ask you, where has she been, huh? What right does she have to accuse me of that, when she hasn't been here at all? How does she even know about it?" Her voice was bordering on hysterical.

"Let me get this straight. You and Sheppard-" Meredith nodded. "And then his wife, who you don't know about, shows up to reclaim her husband?" Meredith nodded again. "Dude, drop the bastard. Trust me, every guy tries to have the cake and eat it too, and it never works out."

"Speaking from experience, are we?" Meredith cracked a smile and drained her beer. Alex silently slid his across the table to her.

"Meredith, you could do better. Honestly. The guy's a sleaze. He _used _you."

"Karev, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I just want to get drunk, and hopefully forget this whole thing ever happened."

"You stay here, and drink your beer. I'll go get something a little stronger for you, okay?" He nodded and squeezed his way through the crowd towards the bar. Meredith watched him walk away – why was she always watching guys walk away? – and looked down into her beer. What was there left to do but wallow in her sadness, and drink.

It was nearly ten minutes before Alex returned, holding two shot glasses in one hand and a bottle in the other.

"I sure hope you like tequila," he said, noting that she had already finished off the second beer and was now working on a martini (how she had gotten that, he had no idea).

"Tequila," Meredith smiled happily. "I _like_ tequila."

"I'm going to have to drive you home, aren't I?" Alex sighed. He poured out two shots and handed one to her, knocking back the other one himself. The alcohol burned slightly going down his throat. Meredith finished her martini in one gulp and quickly followed it up with the shot.

"Hit me, Karev." She handed the shot glass back to him.

"This is gonna be a long night," and he refilled the glass.

* * *

"Shhh," Meredith hushed Alex as she dug through her purse for her keys. "Izzie and George are going to be asleep. We have to be _very_ quiet." She giggled. The original idea of Alex driving had quickly flown out the window, and they had taken a taxi back to Meredith's house. 

"Well, I don't think you're doing a very good job of that, Dr. Grey." He teased.

She managed to get her keys out and open the door, stumbling only a little bit. She grabbed Alex's hand and pulled him into the house. "Are you trying to seduce me, Dr. Grey?"

Meredith snorted. "In your dreams, Karev. I'm just trying to save you from the potential embarrassment of tomorrow morning." Her statement would have been a lot more effective if she hadn't tripped over her heels at that exact moment and pulled the two of the down into a heap in the front hall. " Ow ow ow!" she groaned as they untangled themselves. Once they managed that, Meredith pulled herself up, and started walking upstairs. "Come on, I think we are both going to need sleep before we face tomorrow."

"And where exactly do you propose I sleep?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"We can share my bed. Oh, not like that," she caught the look in his eye. "Just come on. I probably have some old sweats you can wear or something."

"I usually just sleep in the buff."

"Not in my bed you won't." Meredith refused to look back at him.

"It's a wonder you and Sheppard even had a relationship." Meredith glared at him. "Oh right. No talking about the bastard. Sorry, still trying to get used to this sensitive guy thing. Could take a while."

"Just shut up."

They entered Meredith's room, and she grabbed an extra pillow and a blanket from her closet, as well as an old pair of sweats. She tossed the sweats to Karev and headed over to the bed with the pillow and blanket, to make it up.

"Go change into those. The bathroom is just down the hall."

Alex held up the pants. "These could not have been yours. They are way too big."

"No. They weren't mine."

"So whose… never mind. I'll just go get changed now." He exited the room and Meredith added the blanket to the bed, as well as the extra pillow. She quickly changed into a tank top and an old pair of flannel pajama pants. She had climbed into bed and pulled up the covers when Alex came back in. He was carrying his clothes with him, but was only wearing the sweatpants Meredith had given him, and not the t-shirt. He dropped his clothes on the floor and got in on the other side of the bed, careful not to invade Meredith's personal space. Regardless of what they had gone through that evening, personal space was still to be observed.

Meredith turned off the lights and snuggled down into the blanks.

"Good night Karev."

"Good night Meredith."

Neither of them spoke or moved for several minutes. Then Alex felt the bed shift, and Meredith was next to him.

"Alex?" Without her needing to ask, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug as she cried, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Izzie was pounding on Meredith's door. "Mere! You're going to be late if you don't get up right this instant!" 

"And you have to drive us to work," George joined in.

There was no answer. The two of them looked at each other, shrugged, and then Izzie tried the door. It swung open and George and Izzie peeked inside.

"Oh god Meredith! You and _Alex_!?!"


End file.
